Winbro Group Technologies today announce the receipt of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, for the development of their HSA5 laser ablation system.

Winbro started trading in 1992 and is now recognised as a global leader in providing manufacturing solutions to the Aerospace and Industrial Gas Turbine industries, based upon its core Laser and High Speed EDM cooling hole machining technologies as well as Viper Grinding and ECM machining processes. Winbro Group Technologies provides turnkey machining systems, services and manufactured components backed by extensive research and development in products and processes.

This, the second Queen’s Award received by the company, recognises the company’s latest product, the HSA5 (5 Axis, High Speed Laser Ablation) system. The HSA5 is the world’s first “Art – Part” solution, integrating: post processing, ablation and inspection technologies within a single machine platform for the manufacture of complex shapes in Turbine components.

Winbro’s UK COO Andy Lawson commented “ We are absolutely delighted, and proud to have received the Queen’s Award for the second time, and especially in recognition of our technological innovation. This is a testament to the continued hard work and dedication of everyone at Winbro to ensure that our machining systems, services and processing of turbine components remain world class.”

The continuous drive by aero-engine manufacturers to increase operating temperatures, which in turn increases the fuel efficiency, whilst decreasing emissions from the engine, means that effective cooling of components located in the hottest part of the engine is essential to guarantee the required life cycle for these parts. Winbro’s HSA5 system can machine cooling hole features in high performance alloys, with both metallic and ceramic coatings, enhancing manufacturing flexibility, increasing capability and reducing the cost of ownership for component manufacturers.

The HSA5 system has firmly established itself as the machine and process of choice for a number of Winbro’s customers, with one leading aero-engine manufacture alone operating 30 plus HSA5 systems.

Continued Growth and Expansion for Winbro

The Queen’s Award follows a period of sustained growth for Winbro Group Technologies both here in the UK and also within their North American facility. The company now operates from a total of 5 separate factory units in Coalville, and also recently relocated their WAM (Winbro Advanced Machining) business to a new 28,000 sqft facility in Shepshed to meet increasing customer demand, this new site is due to be officially opened on the 9th May. Such has been the rapid growth of this part of the business that the Shepshed site has already been extended by a further 15,000 sqft. The USA business has also recently relocated to a larger 34,500 sqft facility to meet significant increases in US customer orders and also allow for anticipated future growth.

Winbro Group Technologies now has a total of 220 employees, including apprentices and students on the company’s graduate programme, across the UK and USA operations and the company is currently seeking to recruit additional engineers and technical staff in a number of disciplines.

Winbro’s HSA5 System – the world's first “Art – Part” solution for the production of complex shapes in Turbine components